The Penguin Episode 2 “Inside Man” saw Oz Cobb/Penguin (Colin Farrell) go from the frying pan into the fire. After convincing the relentless Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) that Sal Maroni killed her brother instead of him, Oz found himself having to both re-prove his worth to the Falcones, while also delivering on the promises he made to the Maronis. However, just when it looked like Oz would finally get squeezed between a rock and a hard place, he once again managed to wriggle his way clear. Not only did Oz keep himself in the clear, he actually made an ally of the one person who had the least reason to trust him.
(WARNING MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW!)
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Even with some bloody hiccups, Oz successfully acted as the “inside man” during the Falcones’ attempt to relocate their drops operation, allowing Maroni’s crew to ambush the shipment and hijack the product. Even though Oz came out of the heist clean, Sofia knew that there had to be a rat in the crew, but couldn’t get traction with the new would-be don, her Uncle Luca Falcone (Scott Cohen), or underboss Johnny Viti (Michael Kelly). Sofia took matters into her own hands, bribing a corrupt junkie cop to locate surviving members of the Maroni crew. Instead, Sofia got an injured Maroni goon dumped on the doorstep of her brother’s funeral and tried to get information about the mole out of him.
Oz and his sidekick Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) scrambled to frame Viti for the betrayal, going so far as to coerce the goon into lying for them. However, when Vic drops the ball, Oz has to pivot to killing the goon and framing Sofia’s main bodyguard as the mole. In the aftermath, Sofia is left feeling like she’s on the outs with the male-dominated family and turns her attention back to what she and her brother Alberto were working on a new drug that will supersede the drops industry. Since she’s short on muscle, Sofia turns to Oz (of all people!) to be her new ally.
It’s been noted by critics and fans alike that The Penguin is at its best when Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti are paired onscreen together – and the ending of Episode 2 tees up Episode 3 to be an entire showcase of the actors bantering and playing off one another. While it seems like it will be fun, this team-up comes with the proverbial ‘sword of Damocles’ hanging over it, since Oz and Sofia’s volatile history – plus the fact that he did kill her brother and is sabotaging her family – inevitably need to be revealed.
The Penguin airs new episodes Sunday nights on HBO and streams on Max.
